Primera has proposed construction of the largest confinement animal farm in Wisconsin.  Their proposed Dunn County chicken farm would house 800,000 to 1 million chickens, and include an egg breaking facility.  The information below details the company's track record with a similar egg breaking facility in Illinois.  (Primera has never operated an egg laying operation.)  This information has been gathered from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency records.

DATE/INCIDENT
 
6/15/90 - Pre-enforcement conference with village of Stockton for the village's effluent violations which "...coincide with a new egg breaking process at a local egg factory."

8/10/90 - Primegg tells EPA that the waste treatment system will be working by October.

10/5/90 - Engineer retained to design wastewater treatment system.

11/15/90 - Overflow of wastewater discharging into creek. Levels of BOD 22 times higher than legal levels.  TSS concentration 4 times higher than the effluent   limit.

12/12/90 - Overflow through drain tile into creek with BOD levels 28 times higher than effluent limits.  Violations of sections 306.304 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

1/10/91 - Letter from egg farm promising to correct the violations.

2/20/91 - Overflow of waste water again contaminating local stream.  Excuse for the illegal discharge is that equipment has broken down.  Warning from Illinois EPA that "...the Village (of Stockton) is at risk of enforcement action and substantial fines for effluent violations at its wastewater treatment plant primarily due to the organic overload your firm’s wastewater presents."

3/6/91 - Primegg claims that problems of wastewater overflow are solved and has plans to install a pretreatment system to be functioning by August 1, 1991.

8/1/91 - No pretreatment system installed.

12/11/91 - Village of Stockton plans to purchase a waste water pretreatment system to install in the Primegg plant.  Primegg’s effluent discharge "...has   caused Stockton’s sewage treatment plant to exceed its operating permit’s maximum levels, and the village of Stockton and (Primegg) are currently under order from the IEPA and Illinois Attorney Generals Office to comply with IEPA regulations or face possible fines."  No evidence that the treatment system was installed.  Was it installed and failed or did Primegg break its promise to install a treatment system?

2/19/92 - According to the IEPA "...it appears that (Primegg) will install some form of pretreatment facilities which may be operated by the village at some future date."

2/4/93 - IEPA inspection report for Stockton village sewer plant.  "This facility is  overloaded organically apparently due to (Primegg)."  "It appears that (Primegg) will install some form of pretreatment facilities which may be operated by the village at some future date.  This proposal is presently on hold."

4/8/93 - Stockton is recommended to be put on "RESTRICTED STATUS" by  IEPA because of overload from Primegg.  No new users are allowed on the sewer system.

7/8/93 - According to EPA report, "(Primegg) is supposedly upgrading their treatment."

9/2/93 - Letter from Primegg to mayor of Stockton, "We have contracted with  another professional engineer with the intention of installing a pretreatment system in the Stockton plant which will eliminate the problem associated with the wastewater being sent to the villiage’s sewer system."

2/7/94  - "The company (Primegg) is at present reportedly land applying some of its wastewater without an (IEPA) permit." "...it appears that (Primegg) will install some form of pretreatment facilities at some future date." Source, IEPA compliance report.
 
8/2/94 - Engineering company has been hired by Primegg to design a pretreatment facility.  According to the engineer, "the new ownership was progressive and wanted to do things right."

11/28/94 - Primegg receives a permit to construct a DAF wastewater pretreatment system.

12/8/94 - Primegg receives a permit to land spread sludge.  Terms of the permit   forbid the following practices: spreading on snow covered ground, spreading on water saturated soils, and spreading during rain storms.  Primegg is required to control odors and to only spread on sites covered by the permit.
 
12/23/94 - Primegg is issued a permit to discharge waste water into the Freeport, Illinois waste water treatment plant.
 
3/2/95 - Complaint to Illinois EPA that Primegg is spreading wastewater "...to   areas which allow runoff to road ditch."  Complaint is from Village of Stockton workers and is investigated by the IEPA.

3/24/95 - A Consent Decree is filed against Primegg in Illinois Circuit Court for   numerous violations of environmental law.  Primegg pays penalties of $32,000 and is ordered to "cease and desist" from more violations.

Some of the violations:

•  "Cause or allow water pollution."
•  "Cause or allow discharge of BOD and TSS in excess of allowable limits."
•  "Cause or allow violation of pretreatment requirements"
•  "Cause or allow offensive conditions in the waters of the state."

5/95 - Spot dumping of sludge from Primegg witnessed by conservation warden.

5/10/95 - Stockton is removed from restricted status because Primegg is no longer discharging to their sewer system.

5/13/95 - Spot dumping of waste witnessed by game warden.  Warning given to  Primegg.  Driver apologizes and says that, "...the only reason he did it was because his fields were too muddy to enter.  He promised it would not be done again."

9/21/95 - Complaint filed by Illinois conservation warden about odorous waste being spread and potential of run-off.
 
10/5/95 - Jon Luikart writes a letter to the mayor of Stockton,  "...it is very  important to the Primegg operation that we resolve our waste water problem.  Our plan for using a large holding tank and future aeration appears to be the best option at this time."  "We may want to send some of this waste to the city sewer plant, also."

12/15/95 - Mayor of Stockton writes a letter to Jon Luikart saying, "I would urge your firm to install a pretreatment process.  Perhaps then you can meet the requirements necessary for a total solution to this difficult problem."

1/17/96 - Spreading sludge on snow covered ground.

1/19/96 - Complaint filed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources that DNR employees observed Primegg spreading sludge during a rain storm in violation of their discharge permit.  EPA threatens to revoke Primegg’s permit.
 
2/5/96 - Spreading wastewater on snow covered ground and land not covered by permit.  Permit violation.
 
2/6/96 - Spreading wastewater on snow covered ground and land not covered by permit.

2/7/96 - "Land application of wastewaters on snow covered ground-violation of permit," and land applying on land not covered by their permit.  Violations are witnessed by a conservation warden and confirmed by and EPA investigator.  Primegg’s plant manager was in Las Vegas when the violations of their permits occurred but admitted violations.

2/16/96 - Illinois EPA urges Primegg "...to read your permit and to maintain your wastewater disposal practices in strict compliance with the terms and conditions of your permit."  Lawsuits and suspension of permits are threatened.

4/18/96  - "Whitish liquid discharging from tile at headwall at mobile home park."  Complaint is filed by Village of Stockton and investigated by Illinois EPA. Investigators confirm that the whitish liquid "smelled like the wastewater from Apple Canyon Egg Farm (Primegg).  This is the same headwall that (Primegg) had discharged to previously prior to hooking up to the Stockton sewer system."  Primegg denies that they are discharging waste.

4/18/96 - Primegg’s waste hauling truck exits "...field to Illinois route 78 and run(s) up the hi-way with the valve open and sludge running out of the truck, during a heavy rain storm."  Spreading during a rain storm and spreading sludge on highway are both violations of Primegg’s permit.  Violations are witnessed by conservation warden.

5/20/96, 3:10 PM - Primegg is caught in the act, illegally dumping sludge behind  their plant.  According to the conservation law enforcement complaint filed by Officer Robert Van Hamme, the driver dumping the sludge, "...told me that his holding tank had sprung a leak over the weekend and he had to get rid of the sludge.  I (the law officer) told him that he had other legal means to dispose of it, he said that the Freeport City sewage plant wouldn’t take it any more.  I told him that I was aware of a company from Monroe WI that had offered to handle his sludge but he had refused because of cost.  He made no comment to that.  As I left he twice more said, ‘Give me a break, Van Hamme."

6/17/96 - "Odors from wastewater are unbearable."  Numerous complaints filed  by residents of the Stockton area with the Illinois EPA.

6/25/96 - "...odors very bad again."

6/26/96 - More complaints about odors from Primegg.

7/1/96 -  Illinois EPA writes a "Pre-Enforcement Conference Letter" to Primegg.  "This letter constitutes the notice required by Section 31(d) of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act prior to the filing of a formal complaint."

7/2/96 - Gene Woker, Stockton Township Commissioner calls with complaint to Illinois EPA.  In his complaint he states that he "...has observed piles of egg shells in a ditch on Parker Road..." four miles south of Stockton.  He also reports that he had received many complaints from residents about odors and that Primegg has been "...observed dumping wastewater while driving along area roads..."

7/17/96 - 3 separate complaints about odors from Primegg.

7/18/96 - 2 more complaints about odors from Primegg.

7/19/96 - Primegg has a Pre-Enforcement Conference with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

7/23/96 - Meeting in Stockton between Jack Adam of the EPA and Michael Shevi, Chairman of the Board for Primegg.  According to Mr. Adam, "...Michael Shevi also assured me that all violations would be resolved."  Mr. Adam also had a phone conversation with Jon Luikart.  Luikart told Adam that, "Primegg will probably purchase a new truck for hauling waste water in addition to retaining a contract hauler for emergencies."

7/26/96 - Letter from Jon Luikart to EPA.  "We encountered several deviations from permit."  "We do not expect any deviations in the future."

7/29/96 - "Egg farm is still smelling bad."

8/12/96 - Complaint to EPA, "Odors from wastewater tank are unbearable the past five days."

8/13/96 - Complaint to EPA, "Wastewater being sprayed on Route 78 from truck hauling (Primegg) wastewater."  Jack Adam of the EPA reported this incident to Jon Luikart on August 26.  On the 27th, "Luikart called to report that he had investigated the matter and had relieved Heinz Zueger of his truck driving responsibilities as of 10 AM on 8/27/96."

8/26/96 - Letter from Tom Wiles CFO at Primegg to EPA states, "Part of the problem that resulted in the odor problem at Stockton centered around a breakdown in our water spreading truck....we contacted three companies capable of providing backup support to our vehicle should it ever be out of service again.  We have not contracted with a specific licensed wastewater hauler at this time, but plan to utilized the services of (two wastehaulers) in the event that our truck should ever become disabled in the future."

8/14/97 - Illinois EPA denies Primegg a permit to increase its flow of wastewater.  The reason given is that inadequate storage capacity "...would threaten, cause or allow the discharge of contaminants which might cause water pollution in Illinois."

9/30/97 - Primegg seeks permits to operate egg breaking plant (and egg laying farm) in Dunn County.
 
10/24/97 - Primegg’s sludge hauling truck breaks down and the driver backs into a   ditch next to a state highway to drain the remaining sludge.  Plant manager’s promise to "...better inform their driver of IEPA rules."

3/19/98 - The the Dunn County, Wisconsin zoning hearing, Primera's lawyer claims that the company has an outstanding environmental record.  After hearing the testimony submitted above, the lawyer claims that Primera has resolved all of the problems in Stockton.  The Zoning Board of Adjustment believes the story and gives Jon Luikart credit for cleaning up the plant.  Primera's application for a permit is approved before opponents to the plant even have a chance to read the proposal submitted to the board.

Recently, Primera has begun looking at additional chicken factory farm sites in Eau Claire and Polk County.  Is this the kind of neighbor you want?